The Positive-Change Arc and the Flat Arc are the “happy” or “heroic” arcs. >Click Here to Read More About the Normal World The 2 Heroic Arcs However, it may also be more metaphorical, in which case the setting itself will not switch, but rather the conflict will change the setting around the protagonist (for example changing the atmosphere from friendly to hostile). The Normal World may be a definitive setting, which will change at the beginning of the Second Act, when the character enters the Adventure World of the main conflict. Depending on the type of arc, the Normal World will symbolically represent either the story’s Truth or the story’s Lie. The Normal World is the initial setting in the story’s First Act, meant to illustrate the character’s life before the story’s main conflict. >Click Here to Read More About the Ghost 6. Often, it is a traumatic event, but even something seemingly positive (such as a parent’s pride in a child) can cause a character to believe the damaging Lie. As its name (coined by script doctor extraordinaire John Truby) suggests, the Ghost is something that haunts the character, something that can’t just be moved past. This is the reason the character believes in the Lie and can’t see past it to the Truth. The Ghost (sometimes also referred to as the “wound”) is the motivating catalyst in your protagonist’s backstory. >Click Here to Read More About the Thing Your Character Wants and the Thing Your Character Needs 5.

Your character’s evolving proximity to the Want and the Need will change in direct relation to the specific character arc. The Want may be something large and abstract (such as “respect”), but it should boil down to a very specific plot goal (“a promotion” or “a college degree”). Usually, the Need is nothing more or less than the Truth, although it can take a physical form as well. Lie will manifest in the external plot conflict as the Thing the Character Wants vs. >Click Here to Read More About the Lie Your Character Believes 3. The entire character arc-and, indeed, the entire story-is about if and how the character(s) will be able to evolve past the Lie into the Truth. At the beginning of the story, the Lie will be preventing someone (either the protagonist or, in the case of the Flat Arc, supporting characters) from seeing, understanding, and/or accepting a necessary Truth.

The Lie is a misconception about the world that stands in contrast to the Truth. >Click Here to Read More the Truth Your Character Believes 2.

In almost all instances (with the arguable exception of the Disillusionment Arc), the Truth will represent an ultimately positive (if sometimes painful) value, which will help the characters interact more fruitfully and less futilely with the world. It is a universal statement about how the world works. Beyond that, they also share the following six foundational ingredients, which can then be mixed to the author’s needs according to whichever arc has been chosen for the story. All five arcs share several commonalities, beginning with their foundational structure (which I prefer to break into three acts and ten beats, as you’ll see below). Structuring Your Novel (Amazon affiliate link)

Type to learn 5